You Either Bare Your Fangs or Your Throat
by variia
Summary: Realizing you've been reincarnated is terrifying. So is learning you've been reincarnated into your favorite book series. Learning you've ended up in a crossover? Now that's just unfair. SI/OC.
1. The Joys of Childbirth and Toddler-hood

Hi everyone! So, I'll keep this short. I don't ever remember seeing a Self-Insert fic that's also a crossover, which I wanted to see very much so I decided to just write it. This fic is self-indulgent and I want to see the two worlds collide so world building will be important. The SI also has a few similarities to me, but it's mostly an OC. Story title is from dvoyd on tumblr [the link will be on my profile] I have gotten their permission to use the line for my fic. I don't like having author notes at the beginning of the story so all ANs will be at the bottom unless I need to address something. This fic is on ao3 if you prefer that platform. Now, I've babbled enough, so on to the story!

* * *

 _hey kid, do i have your attention?_

 _i know the way you've been livin'_

 _life so reckless, tragedy endless_

 _welcome to the family_

― _welcome to the family, avenged sevenfold_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Joys of Childbirth and Toddler-hood (I'm Lying)**

I want to say it ended with a bang and it kind of did, but honestly? It ended with more of a whimper really.

I remember Him showing up. I remember asking him why? Why was he out of prison? Why was he trying to hurt me again? I already knew the answer, but I **had** to ask. I _needed_ to know. It was revenge of course, for putting him in prison in the first place, for leaving him.

I remember Him bringing out a gun and shooting me without giving me a chance, then _**painandagony**_.

I remember jumping in front of a little boy to protect him from that _piece of shit_ I called an ex-fiance when He aimed for him.

I remember the cops showing up and trying to get Him to stand down.

The last thing I remember before everything went dark is him putting the gun to his head and blowing his brains out.

Then darkness and weightlessness.

It was strange, just floating there. I couldn't see anything, I couldn't hear anything. I could barely move. I felt like I was going insane. The only thing I could do was think and mourn for what I lost. Rage too, of the unfairness of it all. I was free. I was safe. I was happy and He came back and _ruined_ it. When I finally started to accept my situation, I tried to figure out where exactly I was. Anything to stave off the crushing boredom and loneliness.

It took an embarrassing amount of time to notice that I wasn't alone in that place. I took an immense amount of comfort in that, even if we couldn't communicate, I wasn't alone. Eventually, though I started hearing voices which scared the fuck out of me, was I finally losing my mind? I wasn't, but I didn't know that yet.

As time passed the space I was in kept getting smaller and smaller. The voices got clearer and clearer too. One day things started moving in that space and then that other person was just _gone_ and I was terrified. I was alone again. I didn't know what was happening. Was that person finally moving on to the next life? Was I finally moving on too?

Then suddenly I was moving and I was being squeezed through a tube. There was light and it was blinding. I felt hands grab me and I **screamed**. I cried. I wailed as much as I could. I was so small and the hands were so big. I could only see blurs. I didn't know what to do. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. I heard people speaking, sounding a bit panicked. I felt relieved, I could understand them! I started calming down and so did the people around me.

The next thing I know I'm being checked over and cleaned. ' _Why are they waving their arms around, though?'_

I saw something pink enter my vision, then I was wrapped in some kind of cloth, a blanket probably; and handed over to an exhausted looking auburn-haired woman. There was a man with glasses and messy black hair hovering over her with a bundle wrapped in blue. They looked a little familiar but I couldn't figure out why.

That's when it finally hit me, I had just been _born_. That woman had just given **birth** to me. Not only that, the other person in that space was my brother, _I had a sibling_! I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry. I heard the couple speaking, but I was tuning them out.

Mostly because I was too busy internally screaming _'Please don't breastfeed me. Please for the love of God, PLEASE don't breastfeed me!'_

Eventually, the doctor and nurses left; which seemed to be the queue for visitors. The first one in was a tall man with longish black hair and gray eyes, followed by another man with brown eyes and hair who had scars on his face, and the last person that slunk in was a short man with watery eyes and brown hair that made all my instincts suddenly start screaming at me. I started squirming and wiggling as much as possible, I needed to get away **now**. Make him go _AWAY go away go away goawaygoawaygoawaygoawa–_

"Where's my godson?!"

I flinched and whimpered.

Ow! Ears, Jackass!

You know they look kind of familiar too.

"Sirius! Don't yell!" I heard the woman reprimand. "We're in a hospital!"

I saw Jackass cringe then rub his head sheepishly, "Sorry Lils, I'm just excited that I finally get to meet my godson."

Waaaaiiiit a minute, Sirius? Lils as in _Lily_?

Scarface spoke then, "Calm down Sirius, they're not going anywhere. Congratulations guys"

"I know that Moony, I was jus– Wait, what do you mean they?!" Jackass sounded flabbergasted.

Nice of you to get with the program Jackass, it's not like there's two bundles o'babies in your friend's arms or anything.

Wait, please tell me I didn't just hear Moony.

"Exactly that Padfoot. It seems that this little one was a bit of a surprise." Glasses said, amused by Jackass's reaction. "Thanks, Moony. "

"Yes, thank you Remus" echoed Red.

Padfoot? Nononononono–

Shorty was the next one that spoke, "Wow Prongs! That's amazing. Twins huh? Congrats!"

I wasn't really listening.

I was too busy freaking out internally _'It's just a coincidence! Just because I've been reborn doesn't mean that I'll end up in a book series!'_

"Right you are Wormtail! Thanks," I could hear the pride and love in his voice, "the first twins in the Potter family in at least a century."

Potter family? WORMTAIL?! Coincidence! Please!

I missed what was said next but Scarface seemed shocked and a little fearful.

"Are you sure James? What about–"

Red cut him off "Of course we do, Remus. We wouldn't have asked if we weren't sure about it."

"I'd be honored to be her godfather." Scarface accepted.

He still sounded a little shocked.

I yawned, my eyes starting to close _'Wait! No, I need to figure out if this is what I think it is!_ '

"Congrats Moony!" Jackass grinned, slapping Scarface on the back. "Congrats Prongs, Lils! So, what's their names?" he asked.

Yes, what is my name definitely not Actual James and Lily Potter?

Not!James and Not!Lily traded a look, smiling, "It's a good thing we picked out names for a boy and girl just in case, right Lily-Flower?"

 _Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuc–_

"That's right James. Well, we present to you Harry James Potter and Dahlia Anne Potter; our beautiful children." I could hear the pride and love in her voice too.

I was ignoring that though because my brain had stalled on Harry James Potter.

Because Harry Potter means War, it means Voldemort, it means Umbridge, it means Legilimency, it means losing my new parents in 15 months and going to the Dursleys.

It means I'm _**FUCKED**_.

* * *

It has been a little over three months since I was born and I can finally move my head some, along with trying to roll over. I've been unsuccessful so far, but one day! I've also decided to follow Harry's lead in this baby thing. I don't want to draw too much attention to myself nor do I know how babies normally develop. I'm just very thankful that I was born in a sort of normal universe, I don't think I could handle any other universe I could have ended up in.

Also, my tiny bit of hope that this wasn't the Potter Universe just died a painful death. Why do you ask? Because I just saw James and Sirius change into Prongs and Padfoot. Fuck a truckload of ducks.

I should be happy, what fan doesn't want to be in their favorite series? I'm not though. All I can think of is that there is a _War_ happening right at this moment and that the traitor is in my house every other day and there is nothing I can do about it. Because I'm a tiny little vulnerable being with even tinier limbs.

Because everything wrong about the series is suddenly your new reality.

That's not even going into trying to getting used to my new identity or being a baby.

I'm no longer Clara Grace Fairchild, the only child of Alan and Cara Fairchild. Born June 4th, 1988 at 1:59 PM somewhere in the Southern United States.

I am now Dahlia Anne Potter, the thirty-five minutes younger twin sister to Harry James Potter. The daughter of James and Lily Potter and goddaughter of Remus Lupin. Born July 31st, 1980 at 11:59 PM somewhere in Britain.

Hopefully I'm not subject to the prophecy. Will it even stay the same?

Being a baby is so boring and annoying, even more so than waiting to be born. You have to rely on people for everything and your eyesight is shit. Not to mention diapers, which is embarrassing. When you go from being a fully independent adult to not being able to wipe your own ass, you get annoyed and frustrated real quick. Especially when your older brother decides to cry all. the fucking. time. Oh my god Harry, why? Calm down. I know being a baby sucks but please stop. Being born again has definitely reaffirmed my intentions of never giving birth though, I'm adopting if I ever want kids.

 _'Hm, I wonder if blood adoption actually exists? That'd be so cool. I could have blood children without giving birth!'_

That's not to say I _don't_ cry. Being subject to the whims of baby emotions sucks.

I do have good news though!

I get to be bottle fed! Amen, Hallelujah, and Peanut Butter! Take that other babies! Bottles For The Win, y'all! That's about the only thing good about being a baby so far, that and sleeping all day.

Even though sleep is awesome and I love I get to sleep as much as I want, I've been trying to stay awake as long as I can, there is a War going on and I want to learn as much as I can. Not only for the future but because I don't know how close this is to the canon verse. I mean, it's already non-canon because of me, I just don't know what else is different. Is it an Evil Dumbledore? A Good Voldemort? Super abusive Dursleys? Will the Potters live? There are so many different variations. I'm just thankful I read so much fanfiction, it'll help clue me into what kind of universe this is.

' _Shit, I won't able to see how my favorite fanfictions end.'_ I paused as another thought hit me, ' _Double shit, I won't know how One Piece ends for years. Or Naruto. Or Bleach. And I never got around to finishing Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Or finishing that motorcycle. I had just gotten the last part I needed to get it working._ ' I shook off the melancholy before it could consume me.

I am nervous about the twin thing, though, I love Wrong-Child-Who-Lived and Twin-Who-Lived stories, but **I'm that twin**. I don't know which way it will go or how Halloween will go truthfully. It'll decide the course of the rest of my life and it's nerve-wracking, the _not knowing_ and the _waiting_. There's also nothing I can do to change it. I'm just a baby, how _could_ I change it?

' _Well, guess I'll just have to make the best of the time I have.'_

* * *

I can finally roll over! Soon, soon I will walk and then no one can stop me!

It's been about six months since I've been reborn, I think. It's a little hard to tell time when you're a baby. Harry no longer cries constantly, thankfully. He now seems to find amusement in everything. Especially James and Sirius' antics. They like conjuring things for us to play with or colorful smoke or bubbles. They also like taking naps near us in their animagus forms. Which is _weird_.

I've noticed over the past few months that I can I always tell who is coming near me without having to look at them. Almost like I'm sensing them. My range isn't that large but it seems like it's growing with each passing day. Each person feels different to that sense and I can feel Harry, James, and Lily the clearest. Probably because I see them the most. It's a little strange to be honest. It's still awesome though.

Not everything is happy though. There was an incident not too long ago which resulted in us moving. Lily had taken Harry and me to Hogwarts to see Professors McGonagall and Flitwick while James was at work. When we came back to the house it was on fire with the Dark Mark hovering above it. We've been moving around since then. I've heard James and Lily talking about moving to Godric's Hollow where it's safer. Though I already know how _that_ will go.

I can't stand it.

 _I can't fucking stand any of this!_

I didn't ask for this shit.

I didn't want to die!

I didn't want to be reborn!

I hate that I know what's going to happen and I can't change it!

I _HATE_ that I'm stuck in a baby's body!

 **Why me?**

 _ **WHY?**_

* * *

We've moved to Godric's Hollow.

One step closer 'til Ma and Da die.

* * *

"Come on 'Lia, it's time to get up!" some evil, evil person said.

I opened my eyes, saw the blurry face of Da and immediately shut them.

' _Not moving. It's way too early'_

Of course Harry didn't think that, he always wakes up early. "Up!"

"Today's a special day!" Da announced.

' _Special day?'_

I opened my eyes again and stared.

There was Da and he was holding Harry. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual was that they both had bright red party hats on.

I blinked, then squinted.

' _Wait a minute…'_

Right when it was dawning on me what the "special day" was I heard Harry screech gleefully.

"One!"

I burst into giggles.

"One!" I cheered.

Today Harry and I are officially one! I am _so_ happy. I'm growing up!

I sat up to reach for Da when he plopped a party hat on my head and I giggled again. He scooped me up while I was still giggling and started to head to the stairs. Harry started to chant 'One' again so I chanted with him making Da laugh.

I'm talking and walking now! Ish, but still! Talking! Walking! Fuck yes! My first word was 'Ma' and Harry's was 'Dada'. Ma and Da were very proud, though Sirius pouted for hours. He'd been trying to get us to say 'Padfoot' for weeks, I finally took pity on him and shouted 'Pa-foo' at him. He crowed about it for hours, especially when Harry copied me. Our first walking attempts were funny. Harry ended up stepping on Sirius' tail and I knocked over a chair when I fell over laughing at him. Babies aren't very coordinated.

"I see someone is happy today"

I jumped while Harry screamed out "Mama!"

Ma giggled and took Harry away from Da, "I made you two a very special breakfast today."

Harry and I cheered. I then noticed something.

"Da! Da!" I exclaimed while tugging on Da's shirt.

"Yes, my Little Flower?" Da asked with an indulgent smile.

"Ma no hat!" I said while pointing at Ma.

"Ah! Very true Flower, very true." Da acknowledged.

He drew out his wand and conjured one for her that was just like ours. Harry and I clapped at another display of magic and Ma put it on her head with a fond look before walking to the table. After Harry and I were seated Ma put a plate of cut up chocolate chip pancakes in front of us. ' _Chocolate! Hell yes!_ ' I squealed and attacked them with gusto and saw Harry doing the same. We didn't get chocolate often. I heard Ma and Da laughing at us.

"Slow down sweeties, it's not going anywhere" I heard Ma say.

I obligingly slowed down, I didn't want to choke. When we finally finished Ma gathered up our plates and put them in the sink. Da snatched up Harry and Ma picked up me and took us upstairs to take baths and to get dressed. Harry wanted to keep his party hat on for bathtime, but Ma wouldn't let him. Thankfully, he didn't throw a tantrum. I hated bathtime, ' _I will be so happy when I can do this myself_ '. Ma dressed us up in matching shirts with little lions on them, they were cute. She also put our hats back on which made Harry happy.

They took us back downstairs and settled us down to play. Da handed us stuffed animals and I noticed that they were dragons. They were both black but Harry's had yellow eyes and mine had purple eyes.

"Happy Birthday, darlings" Ma said indulgently.

Harry cheered, hugged his dragon, and proclaimed it "Squeak!" I smiled and snuggled mine.

"And what are you gonna name yours, Flower?" Da asked me.

I brought my dragon up to my face and squinted at it. ' _Hmm, well, Xanxus is a dragon, but they would think it was weird if I named it that, so…_ ' I stared at it more in thought before I hit upon an idea.

"Roar!" I squeal. ' _Squalo reminds me of Xanxus and he's never quiet_ '

Our parents laugh at us, when the laughter finally dies down Da tells us "I also I have a present for you two from Padfoot"

"Pa-foo!" Harry screeches.

I clap my hands and look up at Da expectantly. He grins and hands both of us long thin packages wrapped in red and gold wrapping paper. I finally notice Ma has set up a camera to float beside her. Harry and I tear into it our presents. Harry squeals and I stare at the toy broom in my hand. I grin and cheer. ' _An actual broom, this is amazing!_ '

"Alright kids, I want you to pay attention to me," Da tells us before he proceeds to show us how to use our brooms. It's just like in the books, which is a relief. I wasn't sure if it was different for toy brooms or not. ' _I shouldn't have assumed it would be different, these have to be like regular brooms.'_

"Now, mount your brooms!" Da says to us with a giant smile on his face.

We mount our brooms and Harry is off like a shot, zipping around the room. I'm slower going than him and very thankful that they don't go too high off the ground. Harry decides to start chasing me and I start going faster. I swerve to avoid a table with a vase on it while Harry clips it. The vase falls and crashes to the ground. I slam on the brakes and turn around to see if Harry is alright. He is, so I whip back around and speed off Harry hot on my tail. I see Ma and Da laughing again and Da smiling in pride. He starts chasing us around the room. Harry and I start giggling and doing our best to avoid him. I duck out of the way of Da and almost plow straight into Bezoar the cat. I'm luckily able to avoid being scratched. I hear Da laughing harder, he doesn't like Bezoar much, he has a tendency to hack up hairballs in Da's shoes.

We fly around all morning and I'm happy to see that Ma and Da seem happier today than they have been lately.

"Alright!" Ma yells from the kitchen, "It's lunchtime!"

Harry and I cheer and run into the kitchen. By the time we're done eating Harry and I are falling asleep at the table.

"I see it's naptime for two little ones" I hear Da say.

Harry starts to protest before Ma cuts him off, "Bathilda is coming over after naptime, you want to tell her you were good don't you?"

We both perk up. Bathilda coming over is always fun, she has the best stories.

"Yeah, Mama!" Harry says sleepily.

I just nod my head, already on the way to sleep.

I feel Da pick me up and I'm already asleep before we even make it to the stairs.

* * *

I wake up hours later to a knock on the door. I sit up and look around groggily and notice that Harry is already standing up in his crib, hugging Squeak to his chest, reaching for Ma. I'm already getting up, holding Roar in one hand, when Ma gets to me. She picks me up and asks us, "Are you two ready to see Bathilda?"

"Yeah!" cheers Harry, while thrusting his dragon into the air.

I yawn and nod my head. Ma takes us back downstairs and makes it to the living room by the time that Da has gotten Bathilda settled in a comfortable chair. She looks at us and smiles.

"I see someone is still tired." she says in amusement.

I yawn again and wave at her.

Harry screeches, "Aun' Bah!"

She smiles at him indulgently and Ma puts us in Bathilda's lap. I snuggle up to her and Harry latches on to her in a hug.

"Did you two have fun today?" Aunt Bath asks.

We nod our heads, Harry snuggling up to her as well. She notices our dragons, "And what is this?" she asks.

Harry smiles at her waving Squeak around, "Dis Squeak!"

I smile at her too, "Mine Roar, Aun' Bah" I tell her.

Aunt Bath coos at us, then accepts a cup of tea from Ma. I yawn again, and start nodding off again, letting everyone's voice wash over me. I wake up at one point to Harry moving to the floor to color. I wake up at another point to Aunt Bath telling a story about Dumbledore, though I notice that Ma and Da don't really believe her. I fall back asleep and wake up to Aunt Bath shaking me.

"It's time for me to go, dear." she tells me sadly.

I pout and notice Harry is doing the same. She gathers us in a hug, "You be good for your parents, okay?" she tells us.

We nod and hug her tighter, "Luv you, Aun' Bah" we tell her.

"I love you two, as well" she says.

She hands us to Da before she gets up and she says her goodbyes, then Ma walks her to the door. Da sets us on the floor and sits down with us.

"James, I'm going to get started on supper" Ma calls out.

"Alright, Lily-flower" Da calls back, then he turns to me and asks, "Do you want to draw too, 'Lia?"

"Yeah" I say.

He hands me a coloring book and crayons and we color until dinner. Da just sat and watched us with a fond smile. We had roast, potatoes, and peas. Harry spent a lot of time throwing the peas at Da.

After dinner, Ma cleaned us up then put us in our pyjamas and Da came in to read us a story. It ended up being _The Tale of Three Brothers_. Harry was already asleep before Da finished but I lay there and listened to him, wanting to memorize all these little moments. After Da finished the story, he checked on Harry, then me.

"Still awake, 'Lia?" he asked quietly.

"Wanna know end." I answered him.

"Well, it's bedtime, Flower." he tells me.

"Mmkay, Luv you." I tell him.

"Love you too." he says.

He moves away and out of the room. I snuggle in my blankets and the last thought that runs through my head is ' _The countdown begins..._ '

* * *

Most ANs will be here. You'll probably see author commentary or information about a character that I couldn't work into the fic. Though I might just make a separate story for that. We'll see. Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome. If you see any mistakes please let me know!

* * *

 **EDIT:**

I forgot the chapter title like an idiot. [2 September 2017]

Added a section to make another one make a little more sense. Fixed typos/grammar mistakes/missing words. [3 September 2017]

Was re-reading when I realized that I accidentally put 18 months instead of 15 months in the first section. Also fixed a grammar mistake. I REALLY need to beta this better. [21 September 2017]


	2. This Is Not A Drill

**Chapter 2: This is Not a Drill (Oh God Why)**

"This isn't a good idea, James. I thought we were going to use Sirius?"

"People have been following Sirius lately, and he thinks this is a better idea too. He's volunteering to play decoy. It's a great idea, no one will ever think it's him."

"I'd rather use Sirius, I don't really think Peter would be up to it."

"Come on Lily, Peter is one of my best friends! He'd never sell us out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Lily-Flower. I'm sure."

"Alright, we'll use Peter." Lily sighs deeply, and James draws her into a hug.

"Thank you. We'll be safer now, you'll see." ' _I hope._ '

Lily nods her head and pulls away.

"They will be here soon, I'm going to go check on the children. You know how Dahlia gets sometimes."

James nods and smiles, "Alright Lily."

He drops the smile as soon as Lily is out of sight and frowns worriedly. He hopes this will be enough to keep his family safe. James drops down on the couch and sprawls out, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. He hopes the spy is found soon. He can't stand being trapped here and not being able to do anything. He can't protect his family like this. James smiles slightly as he thinks of his family. His wonderful, amazingly brilliant wife. His bright, ever laughing son. His odd, fiercely independent daughter. His thoughts are interrupted by that stupid knock Sirius made up in sixth year.

James gets up, sliding his his wand out of his holster. He gets to the door, wand at the ready, "Who was the one that gave McGonagall that bag of cat toys in Fifth Year?"

He hears snickering before Sirius answers, "Wormy was the one that did that. Man, we got into so much trouble for that."

James relaxes, putting his wand away, and opens the door to see Peter and Sirius standing there. He grins, "Hey guys! Come in!"

He moves out of the way to let them in and shuts the door behind them before walking with them to the living room

"Hey Prongs!" Sirius greets enthusiastically.

"Hi James." Peter echoes quietly.

James furrows his brow in concern, "Is everything okay Wormy?"

Peter smiles weakly and exchanges a look with Sirius, "We'll tell you when Lily gets here."

"Tell James what when I get here?"

All three of them jump, James and Sirius reaching for their wands before realizing it's just Lily.

"Geeze, Evans! You scared me!" Sirius exclaims while holding his chest.

"I am sorry then guys." she apologizes, "Now, what do you need to tell James?"

"Let's sit down for this."

James and Lily exchange a look of their own and sit down on the couch. James grabs Lily's hand for strength.

"What do you need to tell us?" James asked.

"I'm just going to come right out and say it, Edgar Bones and his family have all been killed." Sirius informs them solemnly.

Peter flinches.

"Even the children?" Lily asks, dreading the answer.

Sirius nods, "Even the children."

Lily gasps, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. James moves his arm to hug Lily close, he can see tears in her eyes.

"Did they catch any of the ones that did it?" Lily asks.

"No," Sirius answers. He hesitates briefly before continuing, "There's more".

They stiffen and James asks, "Who else?"

"Fabian and Gideon Prewett."

"Shit!" James swears.

"They took out five of the Death Eaters that came after them and injured another. That one has been arrested." Sirius continues.

James perks up and asks, "That's good! Do you know who it is?"

"Nope, they're keeping it quiet." Sirius answers.

James nods thoughtfully ' _The Aurors don't want the Death Eaters to get them off or kill them to make sure they don't blab.'_

Lily clears her throat, "I'm glad they caught at least one of them. Now, we asked you here today to ask you two something."

Peter and Sirius both straighten up.

"What did you want to ask, Lily?" Peter asks.

"We are going to use the Fidelius Charm, and we'd like you to be Secret Keeper, Peter." she tells him bluntly.

Peter looks at her in surprise, "Me? Why not Sirius? Or Professor Dumbledore?"

"We want to use one of our friends for Secret Keeper, and Sirius has volunteered to play decoy so you'd be better protected." James answers for her.

"Are you sure?" Peter asks uncertainly.

"Of course I'm sure Wormy! You're one of my best friends, and I trust you!" James answers a bit heatedly. He ignores the bad feeling stirring in his gut. He won't distrust one of his friends!

Peter nods and looks at Sirius and Lily, who smile at him encouragingly, then back at James. He takes a deep breath and answers firmly, "I'll do it."

"Alright!" Sirius cheers.

James and Lily grin. Lily gets up off the couch and claps her hands, "Well, let's get started shall we?"

* * *

I open my eyes after Ma leaves the room and roll over to stare at the ceiling. Wormtail and Sirius are coming over. I put my fingers in my mouth to chew on. If I can't chew on my nails, then I'll chew on my fingers instead. It helped with teething. ' _Teething sucks. I thought I was done with all that teeth bullshit AND I thought I broke that nail biting habit._ ' I don't know how close to Halloween we are or how to get them to choose someone that isn't Wormtail. I grimaced at that thought. I hear voices coming from downstairs and try to strain to hear what they're talking about. I scowl as I realize I can't. ' _I can't even get out of this damn crib to sneak closer to eavesdrop, and I've tried countless times to do that._ '

I sit up and cringe a little at the feel of drool on my face and hand. I grab my blanket to wipe it off and then wrap it around myself. I look over to check on Harry, ' _He's still breathing. That's good, I don't know if SIDS is a thing in the magical world, but I don't want to chance it._ '

I snap my head around to stare at our door. I feel a build up of **something** , ' _I think that's magic? What are they doing?!_ ' I shrink back into the side of my crib. I check on Harry again, while keeping an eye on the door. I whimper when suddenly the build up disperses, and I see a dull light flash through the window. ' _What was that?! If there was an attack of some kind, I'd hear some kind of screaming._ ' I check on Harry again and smile slightly when I see that he hasn't even stirred, ' _Honestly, he could sleep through anything._ ' I look around and furrow my brow in confusion. ' _Where am I? Why am I in this room?_ ' I think, trying not to panic. ' _Right Dahlia, what_ do _you remember? I was taking a fake nap and I was checking on Harry. Sirius and Wormta– Oh._ ' I froze, my face blanking. 'MOTHER FUCKER! _They've chosen the secret keeper!_ ' I can feel my eyes burning, and I close my eyes, trying to stop the tears that wants to come out. ' _Halloween is next week! We're doomed!_ ' I lose my battle at keeping my tears at bay, and I let out a wail. I hear Harry joining me, and I try to stop sobbing so I can help him but I can't. The tears just keep coming. ' _Ma and Da are going to die! I can't save them!_ ' I scream internally.

I feel Da pick me up and I cling to him. I can feel him rocking me, trying to calm me down. I hear Ma and Da talking to each other and Sirius in a panic, but I'm not absorbing anything they say. I'm starting to calm down some when I hear Wormtail give Harry and I the Secret. It makes me start crying harder, and Da starts rocking me again. I hear Ma send Sirius and Wormtail away. I eventually cry myself to sleep, exhausted mentally and emotionally.

* * *

I wake up hours later in Da's arms. I yawn then rub my eyes. ' _I hate crying._ ' I lean back some to see where I am and to look for Harry. I see that we're in the living room and that Harry is in Ma's arms. I yawn again and feel my stomach rumble. I then lean over and poke Da in the cheek.

"Da." Poke. "Da." Poke. "Up!" Poke.

Da starts and holds me tight. He looks around before settling on me. I beam at him, "Food!"

He stares at me in bemusement for a moment before chuckling.

"Do you feel better now 'Lia?" he asks in concern.

I nod my head, then look up at him hopefully. "Food?"

He chuckles again, "Alright, let me wake up your Mom to see if her and Harry are hungry too."

"Okay!"

* * *

Lily frowns as she tries to set Dahlia down. She needs to fold the current load of laundry to start the next before Harry wakes up or there will just be chaos all around. Normally Dahlia is fine with coloring or playing with their blocks if she's not also sleeping, but for some reason she always wants to be held recently.

"Dahlia, I need to fold the laundry. You're going to have to let go." Lily tells her.

"But Ma–" she starts.

"If you want to help I can give you some to fold as well, but you'll need to be on the ground for that as well."

"Okay." Dahlia answers a bit petulantly.

They sit down on the floor together and Dahlia finally lets go. With a flick of her wand she puts some of the children's clothes in front of her daughter.

"Can you put all the shirts together for me, sweetie?" Lily asks.

"Yes, Ma."

A comfortable silence settles over them as they work. When Lily checks on Dahlia a bit later she frowns again when she notices Dahlia is scowling to herself.

* * *

James and Lily are cuddling in bed, James tucked around her when he asks the question that's been on his mind the past few days.

"Lily, have you noticed that Dahlia has been clingy lately?"

"Yes, Harry has been as well."

"I've noticed. I asked her what happened earlier in the week."

"Oh? What'd she say?"

"That she had a bad dream and a bad feeling."

"Hmm.. Harry said he had a bad feeling too."

"Ah, I see."

"James, what if they inherited your Instincts?"

"They could have. I didn't start having gut feelings until I was older though. Plus they've always been hit or miss."

"Oh..."

"Don't worry about it Lils. They'll be fine."

"Alright, dear. Now, it's late we should sleep."

"Too true, Lily-Flower! Tomorrow is Halloween, which means Candy Time!"

"James Potter, you will not fill the children up with sweets!"

* * *

Lily yawned as she stood over the stove watching the bacon and sausage cook. A glance at the back of the stove showed the kettle still needed some more time before it would boil.

Lily turned when the toaster popped announcing the first batch of toast was done before tensing when she heard movement on the stairs, she glanced over her shoulder and relaxed when she saw it was James.

"Good Morning, dear," she said, "the tea should be done soon."

James grinned as he answered her, "Good Morning, my Lovely Flower. Thank you, the food smells amazing."

"Thank you, dear, but doesn't it always?"

He chuckled as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Lily smiled and leaned back against him. They stayed like that for a few moments before the kettle starts to whistle. Lily sighs and asks, "Can you get something for me to set the meat on? And can you butter the toast and replace it with more?"

"Of course, Lily-Flower." he says.

James moves to do what Lily asked of him and they work in silence for a while. Lily starts the eggs after moving the meat to the plate James handed her looking over at James to see he's cutting up some of the toast for the children. She smiles fondly at him before calling over, "James, can you go wake the children?"

He looks up at her and smiles widely, "Sure thing!"

As he's passing by her to go upstairs he pauses to sweep her up into his arms and give her a passionate kiss. James pulls away and tells her, "I didn't get to give you your 'Good Morning' kiss."

Lily giggles breathlessly as James lets her go. ' _I have to be the luckiest woman in the world._ '

* * *

James grins as he watches over the kids. They're laying on the floor coloring in a book that Remus got them, their tongues sticking out in concentration. He grabs an old copy of _Transfiguration Today_ off the end table to help restrain the urge to flail about their adorableness. ' _They're so cute!'_

He opens the magazine to a random page and sees it's an article by Dumbledore, so he settles in to read. He looks up a few minutes later to check on the twins and sees that Dahlia has abandoned her coloring to curl up next to Harry, her head on his back. He bites his lip so he won't coo and refocuses on the magazine.

He gets lost in the article, fingers twitching to try out some of what's discussed. James hears a noise from the other room and glances up. His face lights up when he sees Lily coming into the room. She smiles at him fondly as she sits next to him on the couch. James sets _Transfiguration Today_ back on the end table and puts his arm around her. Lily sends him a quick smile as she snuggles up to him.

"All done with your Runes, Lily-Flower?" James asks.

"Yes, they're working as intended, still." Lily replies.

"That's good." he says.

They settle into a comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the peace and quiet, before Lily sighs as she gets up, "Well, time to put the children down for their nap."

* * *

Lily can feel her eyebrow starting to twitch as she looks down at her children. ' _Mum always said that I'd end up with a child that was as stubborn as me._ ' Lily thinks fondly. She pushes away the bout of melancholy that thought brings. She wishes her parents were here to experience these moments. She knows James feels the same way about his own.

They had taken the children upstairs to nap but as soon as they started walking away Dahlia started crying, with Harry joining not long afterwards. They had turned back around and hurried over to check on them but couldn't find anything wrong. Lily picked up Dahlia, while James grabbed Harry, and they started rocking them hoping to get them to settle down. The twins started to calm down not long afterwards, so they put them back into their cribs, and tried to quietly leave the room. They had barely made it to the door when _Harry_ started crying. The process repeated a few more times before Lily started losing her temper.

"Children, it's nap time." Lily says firmly.

"No leave!" Harry wails.

"We'll just be right downstairs, Harry." James tries to reassure him.

"Dun leave?" Dahlia asks them quietly.

Lily's eyebrow twitches again, when James turns to her with a pleading expression on his face. Combined with the twins' teary eyes and she sighs in defeat, "Alright, we'll stay."

The children smile, and James grins sheepishly.

"Story?" Dahlia asks hopefully.

Harry perks up and turns the puppy eyes on them, "Pwease?"

"And will you two go to sleep if we do?" Lily questions.

"Yeah!"

James chuckles before asking, "What do you want us to read?"

The twins stare at them blankly before scrunching their noses as they try to think. Lily suppresses the urge to coo at their adorableness — she has to be serious. James doesn't even try. Harry straightens up and thrusts a fist into the air, "Rabbit!"

"You want to hear about Babbitty Rabbitty again?" James asks.

Harry nods enthusiastically. James smiles before turning to Dahlia, "What about you Dahlia? Do you want to hear about Babbitty Rabbitty, too?"

"Yep!" she answers.

"Okay, kids. Lay down." James tells them.

"Okay!" they chorus.

"You have Roar, Dahlia?" he asks.

Dahlia nods as she snuggles up to the dragon.

"And you Harry? Do you have Squeak?"

"Yes Dada!" Harry confirms from his crib.

Lily hurries over to the shelf that _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ is sitting on and ignores the pout James sends her way. He read to them yesterday, it was her turn! She walked to the rocking chair near Dahlia's crib and sat down, while James went to the one by Harry's. Lily quickly found the first page and cleared her throat.

"' _A long time ago, in a land far far away, a King decides to keep all the magic in the world for himself._ '"

* * *

I yawn as Ma hands Harry and I the bag of blocks to play with while she cooks. Da settles down on the floor with us and grabs the bag to dump the blocks out. I grab a bright green one, and Harry grabs a blue one, and we start making a tower together. We get it to as tall as we are before we start a new one. We do this until we run out of blocks. Harry and I giggle as we knock them all down. I can hear Da chuckling at our antics. Harry and I are about to start making towers again when Ma calls us to dinner.

Da gets up and stretches before saying, "Alright kids, let's clean up first."

"Okay!" we say.

Da grabs the bag and holds it open as we start picking them up and putting them in the bag. It takes us a few minutes. When we're done Da puts the bag by the couch and then bends down to pick Harry up. He then turns to me and is about to pick me up as well when I tell him, "Want walk."

"You want to walk?" he asks.

"Yes, Da." I confirm.

"Alright." he says before grabbing my hand.

We walk to the kitchen where the table is and Da puts Harry in his high chair before helping me into mine. I make a face when Ma hands me a sippy cup filled with milk. She laughs slightly before telling me, "You can have juice after you drink all your milk."

I perk up. I hated milk even Before and I'm glad they're understanding of it. I drink some of my milk, trying not to cringe at the taste as Da puts a plate filled with food in front of Harry and I. Ma grabs her and Da's plates and they sit down at the table.

Ma smiles at all of us before saying, "Time to eat!"

* * *

Lily laughs lightly as she watches the twins devour the last of the chocolate she gave them. Hopefully, they won't be too hyper, though they've made a bit of a mess of themselves.

"James, can you wash the dishes while I give the kids a bath?"

"Of course, Flower!" he immediately agrees.

Lily smiles at her wonderful husband and leans over to give him a kiss on the cheek. She moves away and picks Dahlia up out of her high chair, and then moves to grab Harry, before settling them on her hips to go to the upstairs bathroom. Lily tries not to show the worry she feels when the twins cling to her once she'd dressed them after their bath. They'd been clingy all week and it worries her; especially Dahlia, who's never been like that.

Lily picks up the children again to take them back downstairs. She smiles when James lights up when he sees them. She walks over to him and asks, "Will you watch the children while I put up the dishes?"

"But of course, Lily-Flower."

* * *

I snuggle into Da with a small smile on my face as he entertains us with different colored smoke. Harry's laughing as he tries to grab it, but it keeps dissipating in his hand. He's reaching for some red colored smoke when a chill goes down my spine. I shiver and snuggle deeper into Da's side. I look up when Ma comes back into the room.

"Bedtime!" she says.

I nod and tell them, "Luv you, Ma. Luv you Da."

I hear Harry echoing me and as they smile, "We love you both, too."

Da scoops Harry up and hands him to Ma. He then throws his wand down on the couch. I barely restrain a whimper. I cling to him, my heart starting to race. Da picks me up and stands, stretching and yawning as he does.

That's when something explodes.

* * *

James shoves Dahlia into Lily's arms, and he goes sprinting down the hall as Lily runs to the stairs.

He sees Voldemort, wand in hand.

"Lily, take the kids and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Voldemort laughs before pointing his wand at James, "Avada Kedavra!"

The last thing James thinks before the Killing Curse hits him is the futile wish that Lily and the kids live.

* * *

Ma screams as she hears Voldemort laugh and cast the killing curse. I try to breath through the terror as Ma puts Harry and I into his crib before running to slam the door shut. She starts shoving stuff in front of the door. I stand in the crib holding onto the bars of the crib to keep my hands from shaking, Harry right beside me. I feel lightheaded, as if I'm going to pass out any second.

' _We're going to die. We're going to die, and there's nothing I can do._ '

Ma runs to stand in front of us, and we stare at each other desperately.

She leans down to wipe my tears. ' _When did I start crying?_ '

"Remember, Mama and Dada love you both. Always."

I nod.

The door is forced open, and Ma whips around.

Voldemort waves his wand almost lazily to move all the stuff in front of the door away.

Ma spreads her arms wide.

"Not my babies, not my babies, please not my babies!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now."

"Not my babies, please no, take me, kill me instead–"

"This is my last warning–"

"Not my babies! Please... have mercy... have mercy... Not my babies! Not my babies! Please– I'll do anything–"

"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"

My blood starts roaring in my ears.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Ma falls.

Voldemort steps over Ma's body, we look up at him as he looks down at us.

For the first time, in this life and the last– I feel hatred.

He points his wand at Harry.

I grab Harry, determined to shield him with my body.

"Avada Kedavra!"

I see the green come towards us and then darkness.

* * *

Sirius knocks on the door to Peter's hideaway, thankful for the Warming Charms on his coat. He waits for a minute. When Peter doesn't come to the door he knocks again, straining his ears to hear movement in the house. Worry shoots through him, so he quietly draws his wand and unlocks the door. He walks in, wand at the ready and preparing for the worst. He frantically but methodically searches all the rooms and can't find him. Nothing seems to be out of place, so he settles on the couch to wait. ' _I guess he went out for a moment. I'll just wait for him to get back before going to James' place._ '

He is still in Peter's safehouse waiting for him to return when he feels the Bond of Brotherhood he made with James after he ran away suddenly cut off. He freezes in denial for a moment before he tries to say the Secret aloud. He curses when he can before he jumps up and runs to where Peter's Emergency Bag is. It's missing. Nothing is out of place. That's when it hits him that he had _**betrayed them!**_

Sirius runs out of the house to his motorcycle. He hops on, turns it on, and then takes to the sky. Going as fast as he can to Godric's Hollow.

He gets there in time to see the roof collapse in the nursery. He touches down roughly and jumps off his bike.

Sirius runs into the house, "James! Lily!"

He sees James on the ground, gazing blankly at the ceiling. He collapses next to him, "James! James, c'mon wake up!"

He sobs as he realizes that James isn't breathing. That **James is dead** and won't be coming back. He stays hunched over James' corpse, crying for a few minutes when he hears a baby crying.

He jumps up and races upstairs, berating himself all the while. ' _How can you forget Lily and the kids?! Idiot!_ '

He crosses the threshold into the kids' room and sees Lily lying on the floor. He also sees a black robe with ashes in it. ' _Is that Voldemort's wand?_ ' He moves closer and sees that it is. He barely clamps down on the hysterical laughter that wants to bubble out. ' _He's dead! Voldemort's dead! Thank god!_ '

He looks up and sees that the kids are in Harry's crib. Harry is sobbing loudly, and Dahlia is crying quietly, staring blankly at Lily. Sirius stifles a sob as he steps over Lily's body to check on the children. He looks over the children, Harry's forehead is bleeding, and Dahlia's arms are bleeding. He quickly whips out his wand to heal them and tries to squash the guilt that rises when Dahlia flinches. He sets about to carefully healing them both as quickly as possible. He doesn't quite squash the guilt this time when he sees that Harry has a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, and Dahlia has burn scars on her arms. By this time, the kids have stopped crying.

Sirius turns around and summons their Emergency Bag and stuffed animals. He places them in the bag and summons Dahlia's baby blanket. He puts the bag on his shoulder, leans down and wraps Dahlia in her blanket, and then grabs Harry's blanket to do the same. He then picks them up.

"Alright, kids, we're going to go somewhere safe." he tells them.

He steps carefully over Lily and goes downstairs, before skirting around James' body to get outside.. He tenses when he sees Hagrid run up.

"Sirius! Wha' 'appened?"

"James and Lily are dead."

* * *

I stare ahead blankly as Hagrid gasps, tears coming to his eyes. ' _How the fuck did I survive?! I should be dead right now!_ '

"Voldemort's dead too." Sirius continues, ignoring Hagrid's flinch and cry of ' _Don' say his name!_ ' "What are you doing here?"

"Dumbledore sen' me." Hagrid answers. "Sen' me to check on things. Wanted me to take th' kids to safety if I 'ad to."

I look up at Sirius and see him nod.

"Take my bike. I have something I need to do."

I try not to tense as they go to Sirius' bike. He hands Harry to Hagrid, who holds him gingerly. Sirius takes the bag off his shoulder and stuffs it in the sidecar. He then takes Harry back from Hagrid and hugs us. I latch on, and I can see Harry doing the same.

"You two be good for Hagrid, okay?" he asks.

"Okay, Pa-foot." Harry says quietly

"No go." I whisper.

"Speak up, Dahlia, I can't hear you."

"No go, Pa-foot." I say louder.

"I'm sorry, 'Lia but I have something I need to do."

I cling tighter and try to get him to stay, "Pwease, Pa-foot, no go."

"I'm sorry." he tells me.

I feel my heart sink as my eyes start to water.

"Luv you, Pa-foot!" Harry says suddenly.

I jump, before I echo him.

Sirius smiles tearily, "Love you both too."

He puts us in the sidecar and gives us a kiss on the forehead. He frowns as he places a hand on my forehead. I pout as he pulls his hand away, his hand was cold which felt perfect on my head! ' _I didn't realize I was running a fever._ '

"Hagrid, when you get where you're going, can you get them checked over? They were injured earlier and I healed their wounds, but I think I missed something, because Dahlia feels like she has a fever." he asks.

"Sure, I will." he confirms as he looks at us in concern.

As Sirius straightens up, he starts crying. Hagrid envelops him in a bear hug and pats him on the back until he stops crying.

Sirius steps away and dries his eyes on his sleeves.

"You'll take good care of them for me, won't you?" he asks.

"O' course I will, Sirius!" Hagrid answers.

Sirius nods firmly before Apparating away.

Hagrid gets on the motorcycle which groans a little under his weight, he spends a minute or so figuring out how to turn it on before taking to the sky. Harry and I lie down and look at the stars passing by. Eventually, Harry turns over and falls asleep. I stay awake a little longer, wallowing in the guilt of not being able to save Ma, Da, and Sirius. My eyes start to feel heavy, so I turn on my side and curl around Harry. The events of the night are finally catching up to me, so I'm thankful when I drop off for the first peaceful sleep I've had in awhile.

The peace is broken by a scream.


End file.
